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London In The Dark: Updates and Snippets

I wanted to give you an update on the status of my book, London In The Dark. I had hoped to have it published by now, but we ran into a snag with the cover. The printer doesn’t like the spacing, so I am working with my designer, and I hope to get it approved to print early this week.

But in order to interest you a little bit, I thought I would do something fun to keep me occupied so I won’t worry about my cover so much! I thought I would gift you all with some snippets and teases from the book!

Here are two of my favorite quotes from the whole book.

And for your reading pleasure, here are a few snippets!

Cyril signaled with a finger in the air to give him another minute, he had an idea. Mr. Calhoun kept his eyes from the one side of the room opposite him. As if he were keeping his eyes away from that wall for a reason. It was subtle, but Cyril was paying close attention. Calhoun could be avoiding looking in that direction in order not to give away something hidden there. Cyril continued to watch him closely for another minute as Mr. Calhoun ranted and raved to Detective O’Malley.

Sure of his guess, Cyril turned and examined the wall Mr. Calhoun’s gaze had been avoiding. The only thing along that wall was a small library table with decorative spindle legs and several paintings hanging above it. Nothing could be hidden there, unless. . .

He walked up to the largest painting and ran his finger around the gilt edges of its ornate frame. Fancy. The nameplate touted it as a work of Alfred William Hunt. It was beautiful, but he focused on his Mission.

“Don’t touch that please” Mr. Calhoun interrupted his own tirade to warn Cyril. “It’s a very expensive piece!”

Ignoring the man, Cyril lifted the painting from the wall. A collective murmur of surprise from the others in the room told him he had found something. He set the painting down on the floor and leaned it against the wall.

Sure enough, a cabinet door had been hidden perfectly behind the painting.

“Expensive piece indeed. Though I’ll wager in more ways than one, as the contents of this cabinet will display. If my guess is correct.” Cyril opened the cabinet door to reveal another smaller safe.

“The combination, if you please, Mr. Calhoun.” Cyril glanced over his shoulder at the man who glared at him with a glimmer of anger and defeat in his eyes. Cyril would bet his beloved mustache that the jewels were hidden away in the safe.

Snippet no. 2

Olivia was seated between Mr. Chisolm and Mr. Drayden. Across from her sat the mysterious gentleman with the mustache whom she had seen in the entry hall. She tried not to look at him, wanting to avoid his intense gaze. But it was a struggle. Something about him was familiar and seemed to remind her of someone she knew.

She glanced up and happened to catch his gaze as she took a spoonful of the soup. His mustache was . . . crooked. Olivia swallowed the soup wrong, inhaling some of it. She felt her face turn red as she made an effort to suppress the choking. She swallowed hard several times and hid her face momentarily behind her napkin under the guise of wiping her lips. Her worst nightmare. Choking at a dinner party. How embarrassing! She made a few furtive coughs into her napkin. Quietly. Her stomach started to roil with the pressure she was creating by not coughing. One did not start coughing explosively in the middle of dinner with guests. But if she ended up vomiting . . . Lord, help! Her brain screamed for oxygen. The pressure on her throat slowly eased. She swallowed several times, the haze leaving her vision. Thank you Jesus. She took a deep shuddering breath. Then looked up. The strange gentleman was staring at her. If her face could get any redder, it just did. She looked at his mustache and it was still crooked. One end was much lower than the other. She wasn’t dreaming.

“How are your pets Miss Hartwell?” Mr. Drayden on her left asked her while eyeing the man who was staring at her. The man dropped his eyes to his meal under Mr. Drayden’s censuring gaze.

There you have it! Some little snippets to whet your whistle! Are you excited for the book’s release? I AM SO EXCITED! Expect the Blog Tour to kick off March 8th! I will announce when the book is available for purchase!